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INFERNO CANTO 03
Mandelbaum Tr. and Longfellow Tr.		 NotesAnn.

	THROUGH ME THE WAY INTO THE SUFFERING CITY,
THROUGH ME THE WAY TO THE ETERNAL PAIN,
THROUGH ME THE WAY THAT RUNS AMONG THE LOST.

	THROUGH me the way is to the city dolent;  
Through me the way is to eternal dole;
Through me the way among the people lost.






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	JUSTICE URGED ON MY HIGH ARTIFICER;
MY MAKER WAS DIVINE AUTHORITY,
THE HIGHEST WISDOM, AND THE PRIMAL LOVE.

	Justice incited my sublime Creator;
Created me divine Omnipotence,
The highest Wisdom and the primal Love.








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	BEFORE ME NOTHING BUT ETERNAL THINGS
WERE MADE, AND I ENDURE ETERNALLY.
ABANDON EVERY HOPE, WHO ENTER HERE.

	Before me there were no created things,'03
Only eterne, and I eternal last.
All hope abandon, ye who enter in !"








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	These words-their aspect was obscure-I read
inscribed above a gateway, and I said:
"Master, their meaning is difficult for me."

	These words in sombre colour I beheld
Written upon the summit of a gate;
Whence I: "Their sense is, Master, hard to me!"








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	And he to me, as one who comprehends:
"Here one must leave behind all hesitation;
here every cowardice must meet its death.

	And he to me, as one experienced:
"Here all suspicion needs must be abandoned,
All cowardice must needs be here extinct.








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	For we have reached the place of which I spoke,
where you will see the miserable people,
those who have lost the good of the intellect."

	We to the place have come, where I have told thee
Thou shalt behold the people dolorous
Who have foregone the good of intellect." 








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	And when, with gladness in his face, he placed
his hand upon my own, to comfort me,
he drew me in among the hidden things.

	And after he had laid his hand on mine
With joyful mien, whence I was comforted,
He led me in among the secret things.








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	Here sighs and lamentations and loud cries
were echoing across the starless air,
so that, as soon as I set out, I wept.

	There sighs, complaints, and ululations loud 
Resounded through the air without a star,
Whence I, at the beginning, wept thereat.






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	Strange utterances, horrible pronouncements,
accents of anger, words of suffering,
and voices shrill and faint, and beating hands-

	Languages diverse, horrible dialects,
Accents of anger, words of agony,
And voices high and hoarse, with sound of hands,








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	all went to make a tumult that will whirl
forever through that turbid, timeless air,
like sand that eddies when a whirlwind swirls.

	Made up a tumult that goes whirling on
For ever in that air for ever black,
Even as the sand doth, when the whirlwind breathes.








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	And I-my head oppressed by horror-said:
"Master, what is it that I hear? Who are
those people so defeated by their pain?"

	And I, who had my head with horror bound,
Said: "Master, what is this which now I hear ?
What folk is this, which seems by pain so vanquished ?"








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	And he to me: "This miserable way
is taken by the sorry souls of those
who lived without disgrace and without praise.

	And he to me: "This miserable mode
Maintain the melancholy souls of those
Who lived withouten infamy or praise. 








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	They now commingle with the coward angels,
the company of those who were not rebels
nor faithful to their God, but stood apart.

	Commingled are they with that caitiff choir
Of Angels, who have not rebellious been,
Nor faithful were to God, but were for self.








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	The heavens, that their beauty not be lessened,
have cast them out, nor will deep Hell receive them-
even the wicked cannot glory in them."

	The heavens expelled them, not to be less fair; 
Nor them the nethermore abyss receives,
For glory none the damned would have from them." 








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	And I: "What is it, master, that oppresses
these souls, compelling them to wail so loud?"
He answered: "I shall tell you in few words.

	And I: "O Master, what so grievous is
To these, that maketh them lament so sore ?"
He answered: "I will tell thee very briefly.








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	Those who are here can place no hope in death,
and their blind life is so abject that they
are envious of every other fate.

	These have no longer any hope of death;
And this blind life of theirs is so debased,
They envious are of every other fate.








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	The world will let no fame of theirs endure;
both justice and compassion must disdain them;
let us not talk of them, but look and pass."

	No fame of them the world permits to be;
Misericord and Justice both disdain them.
Let us not speak of them, but look, and pass."








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	And I, looking more closely, saw a banner
that, as it wheeled about, raced on-so quick
that any respite seemed unsuited to it.

	And I, who looked again, beheld a banner, 
Which, whirling round, ran on so rapidly,
That of all pause it seemed to me indignant;






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	Behind that banner trailed so long a file
of people-I should never have believed
that death could have unmade so many souls.

	And after it there came so long a train
Of people, that I ne'er would have believed
That ever Death so many had undone.








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	After I had identified a few,
I saw and recognized the shade of him
who made, through cowardice, the great refusal.

	When some among them I had recognised.
I looked, and I beheld the shade of him 
Who made through cowardice the great refusal.







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	At once I understood with certainty:
this company contained the cowardly,
hateful to God and to His enemies.

	Forthwith I comprehended, and was certain,
That this the sect was of the caitiff wretches
Hateful to God and to his enemies.








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	These wretched ones, who never were alive,
went naked and were stung again, again
by horseflies and by wasps that circled them.

	These miscreants, who never were alive,
Were naked, and were stung exceedingly
By gadflies and by hornets that were there.








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	The insects streaked their faces with their blood,
which, mingled with their tears, fell at their feet,
where it was gathered up by sickening worms.

	These did their faces irrigate with blood,
Which, with their tears commingled, at their feet
By the disgusting worms was gathered up.








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	And then, looking beyond them, I could see
a crowd along the bank of a great river;
at which I said: "Allow me now to know

	And when to gazing farther I betook me.
People I saw on a great river's bank;
Whence said I: "Master, now vouchsafe to me,








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	who are these people-master-and what law
has made them seem so eager for the crossing,
as I can see despite the feeble light."

	That I may know who these are, and what law
Makes them appear so ready to pass over,
As I discern athwart the dusky light." 








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	And he to me: "When we have stopped along
the melancholy shore of Acheron,
then all these matters will be plain to you."

	And he to me: "These things shall all be known
To thee, as soon as we our footsteps stay
Upon the dismal shore of Acheron."








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	At that, with eyes ashamed, downcast, and fearing
that what I said had given him offense,
I did not speak until we reached the river.

	Then with mine eyes ashamed and downward cast,
Fearing my words might irksome be to him,
From speech refrained I till we reached the river.








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	And here, advancing toward us, in a boat,
an aged man-his hair was white with years-
was shouting: "Woe to you, corrupted souls!

	And lo ! towards us coming in a boat 
An old man, hoary with the hair of eld,
Crying: "Woe unto you, ye souls depraved






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	Forget your hope of ever seeing Heaven:
I come to lead you to the other shore,
to the eternal dark, to fire and frost.

	Hope nevermore to look upon the heavens;
I come to lead you to the other shore,
To the eternal shades in heat and frost. 








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	And you approaching there, you living soul,
keep well away from these-they are the dead."
But when he saw I made no move to go,

	And thou, that yonder standest, living soul,
Withdraw thee from these people, who are dead! 
But when he saw that I did not withdraw,







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	he said: "Another way and other harbors-
not here-will bring you passage to your shore:
a lighter craft will have to carry you."

	He said: "By other ways, by other ports
Thou to the shore shalt come, not here, for passage;
A lighter vessel needs must carry thee." 








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	My guide then: "Charon, don't torment yourself:
our passage has been willed above, where One
can do what He has willed; and ask no more."

	And unto him the Guide: "Vex thee not, Charon; 
It is so willed there where is power to do
That which is willed; and farther question not."






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	Now silence fell upon the wooly cheeks
of Charon, pilot of the livid marsh,
whose eyes were ringed about with wheels of flame.

	Thereat were quieted the fleecy cheeks
Of him the ferryman of the livid fen,
Who round about his eyes had wheels of flame.








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	But all those spirits, naked and exhausted,
had lost their color, and they gnashed their teeth
as soon as they heard Charon's cruel words;

	But all those souls who weary were and naked  
Their colour changed and gnashed their teeth together,
As soon as they had heard those cruel words.








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	they execrated God and their own parents
and humankind, and then the place and time
of their conception's seed and of their birth.

	God they blasphemed and their progenitors,
The human race, the place, the time, the seed
Of their engendering and of their birth !








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	Then they forgathered, huddled in one throng,
weeping aloud along that wretched shore
which waits for all who have no fear of God.

	Thereafter all together they drew back,
Bitterly weeping, to the accursed shore,
Which waiteth every man who fears not God.








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	The demon Charon, with his eyes like embers,
by signaling to them, has all embark;
his oar strikes anyone who stretches out.

	Charon the demon, with the eyes of glede, 
Beckoning to them, collects them all together,
Beats with his oar whoever lags behind.






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	As, in the autumn, leaves detach themselves,
first one and then the other, till the bough
sees all its fallen garments on the ground,

	As in the autumn-time the leaves fall off, 
First one and then another, till the branch
Unto the earth surrenders all its spoils;






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	similarly, the evil seed of Adam
descended from the shoreline one by one,
when signaled, as a falcon-called-will come.

	In similar wise the evil seed of Adam
Throw themselves from that margin one by one,
At signals, as a bird unto its lure.








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	So do they move across the darkened waters;
even before they reach the farther shore,
new ranks already gather on this bank.

	So they depart across the dusky wave,
And ere upon the other side they land,
Again on this side a new troop assembles.








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	"My son," the gracious master said to me,
"those who have died beneath the wrath of God,
all these assemble here from every country;

	"My son," the courteous Master said to me,
"All those who perish in the wrath of God
Here meet together out of every land;








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	and they are eager for the river crossing
because celestial justice spurs them on,
so that their fear is turned into desire.

	And ready are they to pass o'er the river,
Because celestial Justice spurs them on,
So that their fear is turned into desire.








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	No good soul ever takes its passage here;
therefore, if Charon has complained of you,
by now you can be sure what his words mean."

	This way there never passes a good soul;
And hence if Charon doth complain of thee,
Well mayst thou know now what his speech imports."








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	And after this was said, the darkened plain
quaked so tremendously-the memory
of terror then, bathes me in sweat again.

	This being finished, all the dusk champaign  
Trembled so violently, that of that terror
The recollection bathes me still with sweat.








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	A whirlwind burst out of the tear-drenched earth,
a wind that crackled with a bloodred light,
a light that overcame all of my senses;

	The land of tears gave forth a blast of wind,
And fulminated a vermilion light,
Which overmastered in me every sense,








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	and like a man whom sleep has seized, I fell.

	And as a man whom sleep hath seized I fell.




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